Picnic at Rocky Nook Park

We took Katie and Matthew to continue the graduation celebrations at Rocky Nook Park for lunch today. It was a beautiful day to eat outside under the shady trees. Owen got to run around and play. I got to catch up with my niece and nephew one on one without a ton of friends and family surrounding them like at the graduation ceremonies. It was a really nice visit I am glad we made the time to do it. I am hoping to see more of these two this summer before they leave Santa Barbara for school. They still won't be too far, but I know they will be busy.

Graduations!

My niece, Katie, graduated with honors from Santa Barbara High School! She will be starting her freshman year at UCLA this fall. I am SO proud of her and all of her accomplishments! She has had a rough high school career for many reasons, and despite it all, she still works hard, plays hard and shines brighter than ever. Katie is radiant, down to Earth, has a quick wit and sees life clearly. Matthew, my nephew, just graduated with honors from 8th grade at Marymount. He has worked very hard at his young academic career and will be going to a reputable, yet small boarding school, Cate, in Carpinteria in August. He is hoping to become a doctor one day. He was dealt the same hand as Katie, and has overcome his obstacles with grace and confidence. He was awarded the highest honor at Marymount during his graduation ceremony. You can't know him and not love him to bits. I have loved watching these two grow up into such wonderful people. I am proud to be their Aunt and love to brag about them! I wish them both a life full of success, love and utter happiness!!

Snap Happy

OK, so I am at it once again practicing with my camera. Those who read this must think I am obsessed with my son with all the pictures I take! He is my favorite subject to photograph, he is always available, and he is now comfortable with the camera and sort of enjoys having his picture taken. All of those things put together makes it easy to work at my hobby. Anyway, here are my favorites of the day:

Naked Beach Babe

Today was my last day of work at UCSB, Yay!! (Until September that is). While I was slaving over stressed out college students, Adam got to take Owen to the beach for the afternoon. Owen got a few drops of water on his shirt, so he decided to take it off, followed by his pants and then his diaper. Needless to say he spent the rest of the afternoon running around in the buff! He loved every second of it. He was so happy today! When they got home Owen was crashed out in the car for at least another half hour or so. I picked up our sandy boy when he woke up and showered him off to get a sun kissed, soft skinned and clean smelling boy : )

Like Father Like Son

I was on my way to work when I happend to catch this one : ) Adam was standing and eating cereal (a bad habit of mine he probably picked up from me) and Owen wanted to do the same with his little bowl. I thought this was too cute to not post.

Almost There

At this point, you never know if we will be able to get a picture like this again, so here we are, at 36 weeks (me) and 37 weeks (Suzanne). The race is on! She is ready, and I am getting there, but I don't mind hanging in there just a bit longer. (We had our prenatal yoga class tonight, hence the comfy clothes).

Adam and I are painting the walls tomorrow, I am almost done packing the hospital bag, and have quite a few more things to cross off my list before this baby arrives. I am starting to feel those Braxton Hicks contractions a little more frequently however, so we will see. I am not counting on this baby being early, since Owen was 2 weeks late, but you never know!

We got the families together and barbecued tonight after yoga. I made homemade mint chip ice cream with my new ice cream maker which was a hit with the kids (and the adults I might add : ). I must have heard "I want ice cream!" from both of them for several hours at least 20 times each. We finally fulfilled their wish and here are some pics of them enjoying every last bite. They are very serious about their ice cream!

The beach

We haven't been to the beach in quite a while. It has been windy in the afternoons and I am either working or it's been too cold to go during the day, until today. Today was hot and wonderful! I finally got my fair share of Vitamin D. I needed it!

We packed up snacks, water and towels and drove 10 minutes to Goleta beach. When I turned around to see Owen, he was sound asleep. Great.

My Mom was on her way to meet us as well as my friend Tia and her son Mason. I let Owen sleep until everyone got there. I had to wake him up and get him going again, which didn't take too long. It's pretty nice to get to wake up and be at the beach already I think.

He was as happy as could be once we got there. He sat down and gobbled down his snacks (I am convinced he is going through another growth spurt right now, the only time he stops eating is when he's sleeping!). Then it was time to burn energy! He must have ran 10 miles in circles on the beach with Nana. He was so happy to play in the water. We had a great day, I am so ready for summer!

Baby Shower

Well, here we are at 9 months along and 4 weeks to go! This pregnancy is flying by so fast, I can't believe it. This weekend my amazing mother decided to throw me a really sweet baby shower. She kept it small and quaint and I made sure that boys were allowed to attend : ) I don't know why baby showers have become a women's event. This is Adam's baby too, so I think he should be just as involved in celebrating her life. (Plus, I wanted some of the attention diverted away from me, as I am not an attention seeker ; ) Owen was prepped all week and couldn't stop talking about "baby sister's shower." He walked around all week practicing saying "Thank you for coming!" (My mom told him to hand out all the favors as people were leaving : ) He even got plenty of presents to open for himself to help him feel included and not jealous. Honestly, he is just as excited as Adam and I are and I have not sensed any negativity or jealousy at all yet. He has however pretended to be a baby at times, and I am guessing it will get worse once she arrives.

My Mom made an incredible brunch with blueberry blintz's, two egg dishes, fruit salad, croissants, mimosas, the whole nine. She decorated the house beautifully and put her special touch into everything from the favors to the way the gifts were displayed! It was a perfect day, thanks Mom.

We were all so happy to see Miss Gwendolyn and her parents too of course! Suzanne is due one week before me with #2 : )Little Oliver. Our practice baby....except I never get to hold him because he is always asleep in the baby carrier or the car seat : (

Morning Walk

Just getting out of the house with a dressed 2 year old is quite an ordeal. It's nearly impossible to get Owen dressed in the morning. He LOVES to wear his pajamas for as long as he possibly can (or until we trick him into changing into play clothes somehow). Once he is in his play clothes, it won't be long before they are off and pj's are back on. I can't really blame him, they are pretty comfortable and stretchy : )

Anyway, I had a little time before work, and I was determined to get him dressed and enjoy some sunshine and exercise before I had to massage people in a sunless room for a few hours. Adam came home from yoga and we all took a nice walk on the bluffs behind our house this morning. What normally takes me 20 minutes to walk when I am in a hurry, takes about 60 when you have a toddler who loves to collect sticks along the way! He will be very helpful to have around when are camping and need some kindling for a fire. ; ) Stick collecting is not quite as helpful when I need to get to work on time.
There is a tree swing along the path that Owen loves. I had fun taking pictures of him swinging. Here are my favorites:

Mother's Day

I got to start my day with a peaceful walk along the beach while Owen was still sleeping. When I came home I was greeted with a "Happy Mother's Day" at the door from my favorite son ;). Adam started to get to work in the kitchen while I got to relax and wait for a wonderful brunch with family.

Owen and I had to run to the store for something and when I came back, our little "Zen Garden" had a separate entrance for "Mother's Only." He had relaxing music on, the fountain was flowing and there were mimosas (as well as sparkling OJ) and strawberries waiting for me and my Mom and Grandma Zena. I married such a creative and thoughtful man. Owen was Daddy's little helper and cleared our plates (by eating a lot of our strawberries) and brought them to the kitchen to be washed. We then moved on to the sunny backyard and were served 2 amazing quiches, a fruit salad and a green salad. All made from scratch by Adam I might add. He is not a cook by any means, so it means even more to me when he does stuff like this.

Once we came inside, it was time for Owen to get comfortable in his pj's and play cowboy with his hat, red bandanna and horse (or rocking giraffe).

After dishes were washed (by Adam) and everyone went home it was time for my prenatal yoga class. Ahh, I am relaxed just writing about my day! Thanks Adam for taking such good care of your West Coast Moms, I am so lucky to have you as my other half :) xo

And to MY Mom, I am extremely fortunate to have you as my Mother, and even luckier that you live so close. I don't know what I would do with out you, my best friend. All of your support and help is so appreciated. We are forever grateful to have you in our lives. I love you. xo

This is Daddy, Mommy, Owen and "Baby Sister" that Owen created with Nana ; )